Abstract

The effect of galvanic interaction between the evolving facets of the etch front on the Si{100} surface smoothness during wet anisotropic etching in surfactant-added tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) is studied by etching different mask patterns. Triton X-100, with formula C14H 22O(C2H4O)n, where n=9-10, is used as the surfactant. The different smoothness of wet etched Si{100} surfaces, evaluated by atomic force microscope (AFM) and optical microscope, indicates that the wet etched Si{100} surfaces could become extremely smooth after the onset of the electrochemical etching contribution. A model to account for the galvanic interaction between the evolving facets is proposed, demonstrating that the chemical etching can be significantly surpassed by the electrochemical etching when the relative area of the exposed {100} surfaces are relatively small in comparison to that of the developed {111} sidewalls. Additionally, silicon beams with smooth surfaces are presented in the fabrication of a sandwich micro accelerometer to avoid the risk of device invalidation. This study is useful for engineering applications where the fabrication of microstructures for high quality devices should contain smooth surfaces